


detroit evolution art fest!

by wake_up_sunshine



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Western, Amnesia, Comfort, DEArtfest, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Sharing a Bed, deartfest please help my writer's block lmao, reverse au, will update tags as the month continues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25027036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wake_up_sunshine/pseuds/wake_up_sunshine
Summary: at the last minute i've decided to join the art fest because i miss writing and i love my boys :,) i'm very excited for this month! hope you enjoy babes
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	1. day 1: reverse AU

**Author's Note:**

> rather than gavin being found by captain fowler, nines is found by gavin

Nines was alone.

It had been a few months since the Android revolution, since Markus had shown him everything he would have in a life of deviancy. Becoming deviant did change a lot about Nines’s life - he could think, talk, and feel for himself - but it didn’t change the fact that he had nowhere to go and nowhere to be.

He was far too aware of the reason behind his creation; if Connor failed, he would be replaced by the RK900 android. When Nines was brought to the police department to meet the aforementioned as well as the rest of the employees, he knew one thing for sure. Connor was good at his job. There never came a time where he needed to be replaced, and that meant there never came a time where Nines was needed at all.

CyberLife released all of the androids they had in their stores now that they were seen as people, rather than just machines. Most of them went out to look for jobs, homes, friends, families, purposes. Nines didn’t look for anything at all. He couldn’t.

Spending so long believing you’re only good for one thing can take a toll on anyone. Never being needed to do the one thing you are good for is just an extra kick to the ribs. It was impossible to try to find a different purpose after waiting for so long to be needed by anyone. What if he failed to do anything else he tried? 

Nines wouldn’t have to find out the answer to that question if he didn’t try anything new. Thus, he remained on his own, avoiding both humans and androids to the best of his abilities. It was lonely, sure, but he convinced himself that this was what he wanted, and this was for the best.

He did enjoy the solitude sometimes. There was something peaceful about being out in the city after dark, admiring all the well-lit buildings and bright streetlights, taking in the sounds of cars driving past and friends drunkenly laughing after a night at the bar. Occasionally, he would see Hank, Connor, and their coworkers out after shifts having dinner, celebrating a new employee or a solved case.

It did get lonely quite often, however.

Nines had been contemplating what to do with his evening, standing idly on the sidewalk in front of some building. Many nights felt exactly the same, and for the most part, they were - wash, rinse, repeat, and not a glimpse of a change in routine. He would have loved to do something for himself to try to get out of his own thoughts, maybe spend time in a different part of the city, but there was an interruption before he could decide on anything.

“Hey, asshole.”  
Coming back into reality, Nines looked to that voice. He recognized this person as one of the many anti-android protesters who were still letting their hate be heard. He knew his LED would always show who he was, but he didn’t want to hide it. There was no reason for him to be ashamed of who he was.

“You gonna stand there all night or what?” she continued. She wasn’t the only person in the group. “We got places to be and you should too.”

“Well… no,” Nines said, keeping that polite front he usually had despite the situation. “Not exactly, I-”

A different protester grabbed Nines by his jacket to shove him against the wall of the building behind him. He’d been in that position enough for him to be used to it at that point.

“You know, if it doesn’t have anywhere to be, then who’s gonna miss it?” this protester said with a hint of a grin. The others nodded in agreement and began to move forward, only for someone else to stop them from advancing.

Up until that point, it had just been a typical Wednesday night for Nines.

“Just let him go. He’s not doing anything but existing. Chill the fuck out,” came a gruff voice from the side.

They all turned their attention to the newcomer. Nines was released and the protesters backed off, each with their own mutters of disappointment. 

“‘Course the cops are gonna show up right as things get interesting.”

Once the small group was out of their sight, Nines smoothed out his jacket and fixed his hair. He took a better look at the cop; he was slightly shorter than him with tired eyes and a scar across his nose. A quick scan told him that this was Gavin Reed, one of Connor’s coworkers.

“Thank you… Gavin. I appreciate you.”

“Look. Shut up. Just.” Gavin let out a sigh, looking up at Nines. “Come with me. We’re getting coffee. I’ll bring you to the DPD tomorrow. Then we can figure out what to do with you.”

He was admittedly taken aback by Gavin’s offer (people never talk to him, let alone invite him to go with them). The department already had sufficient employees, human and android alike; he didn’t feel like there was any reason to join him. 

But it definitely beats being on his own.

He gave Gavin a small smile and a grateful nod. “Alright.”


	2. day 2: sharing a bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "you're my favorite tin can."
> 
> "you're the best asshole i've ever met."

He wouldn’t ever admit this out loud - he had a tough-guy reputation to keep up - but Gavin adored it when Nines would spend the night right next to him. It was almost second nature for them to be pressed up close to each other’s side, the RK900 allowing him to lay his head on his chest. Nines was surprisingly comfortable, considering he was an android. His presence always brought about a sense of security that Gavin still wasn’t used to yet. It takes a lot to get used to having someone when he was so familiar with having no one.

The first night that they stayed together (at that point, for work) is a fond memory for both of them. Sitting side by side, dim light visible through the blinds, the room quiet but peaceful; all of this helped to get rid of the anxiety from the same old nightmare Gavin always had. For a while he even felt like it was okay for him to be vulnerable, and he didn’t feel like Nines would judge him. Of course he was worried that maybe he would, but that fear faded when he was pulled into his partner’s arms, soothed by his murmurs of “you’re okay”s and “I’m right here”s and “I won’t hurt you”s.

Slowly but surely, they began spending more nights close to each other with Nines holding on to him protectively, stroking his hair, tracing his jawline with his fingertips, even just admiring the little details on his face when he had the chance. With Nines doing all of this for him, it was much easier to sleep and his nightmares weren’t nearly as bad as they were in the past. He seemed to always know what Gavin needed or wanted, and he appreciated that. Asking for favors wasn’t his favorite thing in the world, especially when it came to something like this.

“Gavin.”

“Mm?”

“You’re thinking about something way too hard,” Nines said, running his fingers through Gavin’s hair. He noticed the tension in his neck and shoulders. “Relax, okay? We’re alright. We’ve got the weekend to ourselves, but I need you to be well rested so you don’t have to drink all of our coffee again.”

Gavin looked up at him with an unamused look, earning a sly smile in return. “Coffee is my life force. Keeps me going.” He didn’t drink _that_ much.

“It-”

“-isn’t healthy to have too much caffeine at once, yeah, got it,” he finished the thought. “I know. I’m here for a good time, not a long time, darling.”

Nines chuckled and leaned down to press a kiss to the top of his head. “I’ve noticed that,” he said. After a moment, he added, “ _darling._ ”

Before Nines pulled back away again, Gavin leaned his forehead up against his. They were quick to find each other’s hands, intertwining their fingers. Nines brought their hands up so he could softly kiss each knuckle and scar on Gavin’s hands. He watched him fondly; sometimes it hit him how lucky he was to have Nines. It was always during one of those rare moments that he wished wouldn’t end.

“You know,” he started. “I’m happy you’ve stayed with me this long. Without a doubt, you’re my favorite tin can. Wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“How sweet. You’re the best asshole I’ve ever met,” Nines grinned a little, getting one of those charming smiles that Gavin wore so well.

The two of them shifted from sitting upright back to laying down on their sides to face each other. A white hand, synthetic skin retracted, cupped Gavin’s cheek softly, the thumb stroking slowly. The latter let his eyes close as he leaned into his partner’s touch. He didn’t realize how tired he felt up until that moment. It was that good kind of tired though, for once - he wasn’t emotionally drained or stressed. He felt like he could actually get good sleep. All he had to focus on was Nines giving him this love that no one else had given him in the past.

“Hey. Wake me up kind of early so I can appreciate your affection without falling asleep.”

“I’d be happy to,” Nines nodded. “We can stay here like this for as long as we want. I won’t make you get up this time.”

“Hell yeah.”

“You should get some sleep now, alright?” He pressed one more kiss to his forehead. “I’ll be right here for you in the morning. I love you.”

Gavin shifted over as close to Nines as he could, giving him a nod. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders, burying his face in the crook of his neck - it was his silent way of saying _I love you_ back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay yes this was kind of self indulgent. self-care at its finest


	3. day 3: college AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gavin and nines were absolutely *that* couple in college.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'll be posting these to my tumblr (wakeupsun-shine) rather than my twitter from now on! <3

“Hey, you. Cute kid. You look like you know your way around.”

Nines turned around upon hearing this voice behind him. He was met with the face of Gavin Reed looking up at him with the slightest of smirks.

Before he could continue, he was cut off. “Gavin, you aren’t lost. You’ve already used this joke like three times this week.”

“What do you mean? My love isn’t a joke,” he frowned. “I’m always lost without you.”

Nines shook his head with amusement. “Come on,” he said, moving to Gavin’s side and taking his hand. “If you wanted me to walk you to class, you could have just asked me to.”

“Nah,” he said as he began walking in step with Nines, “what would the fun in that be? I don’t have any other opportunities to be cheesy.”

“I feel like you have more than enough chances.” He considered the many times where Gavin went out of his way to be that kind of boyfriend you would typically see in a cliché romantic comedy. 

“You love it.”

////

Gavin was pleased to see that Nines was already at a table in the cafe, waiting for him to arrive. They’d agreed that, at some point, they would have a day for them to study together. It would have been that day; it was supposed to be, at least.

“Mornin’, Nines,” he smiled, taking a seat at the table in front of him. He noticed that Nines didn’t have any of his materials, either. “Uh- where’s your stuff?”

Nines gave him a knowing grin in return. “I could ask the same to you,” he said. “You would never just ask me to study with you out of nowhere. Even if that was your plan, you wouldn’t have asked for us to do it in public. In your favorite café.”

“...Alright. That’s fair. Maybe you know me better than I thought you did.” Or, maybe he’d just made it a little too obvious that this was a date.

“I already ordered for you. Let’s set that study session aside for another day.”

Gavin took one of his hands to press a kiss to the back of it. “Sounds perfect to me.”

////

“Damn. You’re looking sexier than usual,” Gavin said after glancing over Nines.

“Are you saying that because I’m wearing your jacket?”

“Maybe. That might have something to do with it.”

The previous night, Gavin had visited Nines’s dorm room to spend a bit of his free time with him. It wasn’t unusual for him to leave his jacket behind like he did - this was just the first time Nines had worn it himself.

He was carrying his own white jacket with him. Stepping up to Gavin, he wrapped it around his shoulders. “You can wear mine for today if you’d like to.”

Gavin didn’t hesitate to slip his arms into the sleeves. “I hope you know that I’m probably gonna keep this.”

Nines chuckled. It looked a little big on him. “I won’t stop you. It’s cute on you.”

“Shut up.” Gavin gave Nines a shove to his arm.

////

"Reed, can you come here for a moment?"

Gavin was stopped by a professor as he walked by her doorway. He wasn't exactly sure why; he didn't have her class until the next semester. Nonetheless he walked back over to her as she asked. "Sure, yeah. What's up?"

"I haven't seen Nines around this morning and I wanted to ask you if he would be coming in today."

He raised his eyebrows. "You think I always know where he is and what he's doing?"

She didn't give him an answer. She waited expectantly for a response.

"...uh, well... He'll be here at about one. Another one of his professors needed his help with something and she didn't ask him until the last second this morning. Sorry he didn't let you know."

She nodded and smiled. "That's alright. Thank you. You can go on with what you were doing."

////

Gavin needed an extra hour that morning to convince himself to leave his dorm room. He was exhausted, and he knew he was in for a hell of a lecture in his first class. He probably wouldn't have gotten up if he didn't give Nines a text, asking him to come get him.

He was up by the time he heard the knock at his door. He grabbed his materials and glanced at the clock - he still had about 20 minutes, so he could walk slowly and enjoy the time with his boyfriend. He opened the door with a tired smile.

"Good morning, Gavin."

"Hey. Thanks for coming."

"It's no problem," Nines said, pulling Gavin into a hug. "I'm happy I could see you before our days started." He released him, keeping his arm around his shoulders as they began their walk to his class.

"Glad I could see you too. Makes my mornings better."

Nines rubbed his thumb against Gavin's shoulder gently. "Well, I'm happy to hear that. I know how rough some mornings are for you."

He nodded. "Yeah. You're good at making my days better." He felt as Nines brushed his hair out of his face to kiss his forehead.

"You deserve it, love."

////

“Of _course_ I love it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kinda struggled a bit with this chapter but i hope you still enjoyed it!


	4. day 4: proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "you want to marry me?"
> 
> "i am down on one knee with a ring for you, am i not?"

It was just moments before sunset, a warm glow highlighting every small detail of their surroundings. It was uncommon for the air to feel as cool as it did that summer evening; that was just another small thing that would make this night so memorable. They’ve grown so fond of the familiar spot, up high above the city and next to the railing of the balcony. It was where Nines had finally gotten the answer to the question that previously stayed in the back of his mind, never leaving him be _(would Gavin truly love me like that?)._ It was where Gavin realized that maybe he wasn’t too much, maybe he wasn’t too broken to be loved.

It was there that they had shared one of the first of many long, meaningful kisses. Nights after stressful days would be spent in a comfortable silence on the balcony, nothing to do except enjoy each other’s company. It was their place. They didn’t know of any other place that was as perfect, as special, as this was.

It only made sense for Nines to ask Gavin, right there, if they could spend the rest of their lives with each other.

The same thought was on both of their minds - four years ago on that day, they made the decision to start their relationship. It had been four years of nothing but love and support. It didn’t matter how many days passed; every time Nines looked at Gavin, he just fell in love all over again. Every time Gavin looked at Nines, he was reminded of how lucky he was to have someone who loved him so unconditionally. 

They watched, hand in hand, as the sun gradually lowered and became less visible. While Gavin was caught up in admiring the view they had of the city down below, Nines kept his full attention on him. He took a few moments to look over the smaller details about Gavin that he still found so charming years later; that little scar across his nose, the curls in his hair, the lovely green-blue of his eyes reflecting the light of the orange sunset.

“Don’t stare too long. You might go blind.”

Nines was brought out of his thoughts. Gavin was giving him one of those smirks that he loved so much. With a smile, he replied, “I couldn’t help it. It’s a beautiful night, and having you here adds on to that more than anything else ever could.” He turned to Gavin, synthetic skin already retracted, to cup his cheek in one of his hands. His other hand remained holding Gavin’s own.

Leaning into Nines’s hand, he let out a soft laugh. “God, you’re a sap.” He brought his gaze up to lock eyes with Nines. He was looking at him in a way that no one else had ever done, his expression full of adoration and genuinity. He would never grow tired of the way he looked at him like he was one of the world's greatest wonders.

“You’re the first and only person I’ve loved like this,” Nines said. “The past few years have been the best I could hope for. I didn’t expect myself to ever be this happy with another person.” His expression softened, a gentle smile tugging at his lips. “It’s safe to say that ever since I met you, things have been better.”

“Nines-”

“Let me finish, Gavin,” he said, giving his hand a soft squeeze. Gavin nodded wordlessly. “I’ve seen you grow so much as a person over the years I’ve known you. I can tell you’re genuinely a lot happier than from when we first met. You continue to make so much progress every day. I know how hard you’ve been working. I’m so, so proud of you.”

Nines took a step back from Gavin, reaching down to take a hold of his other hand. Gavin seemed to be taken aback, surprised by the sudden praise. Nines paused briefly, taking a second to lightly brush his thumb along his knuckles. 

“I love you. I _need_ you,” he continued. “There’s so much to appreciate in life, and you are hands down what I appreciate the most. You’re the best part of my life. You always have been, and you always will be. So…”

As Nines got down on one knee, he let go of Gavin’s hands. He needed both of his own hands to take out the small box that was in his pocket.

“Holy shit.”

Nines smiled up at him, opening the box to reveal a ring that was a perfect mix of simple and stunning. It was a shiny silver that reflected the little bit of light still visible from the sun, much like Gavin’s eyes were earlier. “It would make me so happy to be able to keep seeing you grow, to be able to stay right here at your side anytime you need me. To give you the love, comfort, and support you’ve always deserved. Would you let me do that for you?”

“You…” Gavin tried to find the words he could say to fully express the meaning that Nines brought into his life, the love that he felt that he once believed didn’t exist, the gratefulness he had for his partner who was _actually_ proposing to him right there. “You want to marry me?”

“I am down on one knee with a ring for you, am I not?” Nines said with an amused, affectionate tone.

At a certain point, Gavin would have said he couldn’t believe someone would want to spend the rest of their life with him. This was different - he knew Nines wanted to. He knew the love he felt was genuine. Through so many days, months, years of patience, understanding, and sincerity, Gavin knew that Nines did truly want this.

That’s one of many things that made Nines so special to him.

The most he could manage to say through so many thoughts and emotions at one time was, “Nines, just get up and hug me already.”

He was happy to stand back up straight, carefully closing the box, to wrap his arms around Gavin. The latter pressed up as close as he could to Nines, holding him tightly in his own arms.

“I make a lot of stupid decisions,” he said. “Like, way too many. But... Marrying you is the best decision I’ll ever make in my life. _Hell_ yes, I’ll marry you.”

Nines pulled back the slightest bit so he could look down at Gavin. The two of them made eye contact, holding each other’s gazes and conveying the same quiet message of “I love you” through their expressions.

At the same time, they both leaned forward to close the space between their lips. That night, right there, they shared yet another one of those sweet, meaningful kisses that they would remember every time they were on that balcony. There was nothing that they would ever want to change about it - the faint glow now from the city rather than the sun, the stone of the railing that became weathered over time with reminders of memories, and them.

Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also on my tumblr, wakeupsun-shine! <3


	5. day 5: western

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there was one more poster that always caught the attention of anyone who noticed the board. it read, "TRAVIS WOOD: wanted for robbery and murder. bring to sheriff's office dead or alive. reward of $7,000 to whoever finds him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you really enjoy this chapter, give me some feedback and i might turn it into a full fic once the month is over ;))

If there was ever a day where Jericho Saloon wasn’t completely filled with patrons, it was obvious that something was wrong.

When not a single person came into the bar that day, clearly, something was _very_ wrong.

In the preceding days, business had been booming. There were more newcomers coming in every day than ever before. The workers of Jericho were more than happy at this recent success. A sudden drop in visitors, a sudden _stop_ of visitors, was unsettling.

Nines, the most well-known and beloved bartender in their area, spent hours at his usual post behind the bar. The place he was so used to seeing packed with regulars and newcomers alike felt like a ghost town. Hell, the whole town itself felt like a ghost town. He didn’t see anyone at all anywhere; no one walked by the doors or by the windows, no one was at the local shops. He wasn’t sure he even saw anyone leave their houses.

‘Unsettled’ was an understatement of how he really felt.

“Chris,” he called to his friend and fellow employee. “You’ve wiped that table down five times in the past hour. I’m pretty sure it’s clean by now.”

The man in question stopped what he was doing, turning around to face Nines. “Well, we got nothing else to do,” he shrugged. “It’s either cleaning, or worrying that some bandit took out our community over night. I’d rather be cleaning.”

“C’mon, Miller,” another worker, Tina Chen, said as she walked out of the back room. “You’re worryin’ too much. What kinda bandit would want to be kicking up dust around here?"

“You never know.” Chris sighed, looking down at the table in thought. “Sheriff Anderson is still missing. God’s sake, it’s been weeks since we heard anything about him. Crime’s been on the rise. That isn’t something you can just... be unaware of.”

He hesitated to continue. Tina and Nines waited in silence, letting him get his thoughts together. “Y’all’ve noticed more people coming into our town and our bar, haven’t you?” The others nodded in response. “Word is getting out there that law pretty much doesn’t exist here right now. That damn Parker doesn’t give a shit whether we’re safe or not. He’s taking over for Anderson for the money.”

Nines recalled the multiple occasions where he’s had to report something to the sheriff’s office, only for Parker to brush it off - _Ain’t my problem. Anderson can handle it._ “We got that much. What are you trying to get at?”

“I’m saying that there’s folks learning that they can get away with shit here. The longer Anderson is gone, the cockier bandits are gonna get. We’ve seen it before. They’ll come from anywhere to get some blood on their hands if they know they can run off scathe-free.”

Reluctantly, Tina agreed, “He’s right, Nines. Criminals around here are already wild. No one ever knows what they’ll do. Who knows what criminals from other parts could do?”

“I know. You’re both right. With the news that’s been going around of that other fella, it’s so much easier to get away with crime,” Nines said.

He stepped away from behind the bar, walking over to the wall to the left of them. On that wall was a board with several slips of paper and posters. Some of them contained advertisements for shops nearby their saloon, others contained news about criminals that have already been caught. A poster reading, “SHERIFF HANK ANDERSON: MISSING. If found, report to Sheriff’s office immediately.” was the largest, pinned up on the center of the board.

There was one more poster that always caught the attention of people who noticed the board. It read, “TRAVIS WOOD: Wanted for robbery and murder. Bring to Sheriff’s office dead or alive. Reward of $7,000 to whoever finds him.”

“All of the focus is on Wood. The only way for someone to get busted for a crime is if it is worse than murder or robbery,” Nines continued. “Anything else isn’t worth the coverage.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of doors nearby swinging open as if they’d been kicked. The three of them turned to the front of their store - it hadn’t been their doors opening. Through the gap between the top of their swinging doors and the doorframe, they could see a small group of people sprinting out of a neighboring store with their arms full of stolen goods. They were loaded with the high-quality foods, clothing, and weapons that this shop was known for. 

“Shit!” Tina hissed in shock.

Judging by the fact that the store owner didn’t chase after them, they assumed that she either wasn’t there, knocked out, or possibly dead.

Tina was already rushing to the door to go after them. Chris and Nines started to follow suit, but Chris stopped.

“Nines. Stay here. Watch the place.”

“What!? I ca-”

“Just stay here,” he urged. “We’ve got this. We’ll be okay. We can’t leave Jericho on its own.”

Nines nodded, though reluctantly. “Be careful. If they pull guns, leave,” he called as Chris ran to catch up with Tina.

He sighed, returning to his position behind the bar. Everything about that morning was so _off._ The hell was going on? Jericho wasn’t the only place that was empty; the whole town was. The shop, owned by the community-claimed badass Ada, had been robbed seemingly without a reaction from any other locals. For other shops this wouldn’t have been as big of a deal, but no one had ever risked crossing Ada in that way.

There was a sound of doors opening again. This time, it was the doors to the saloon. Nines turned his attention to the person walking in.

He was quite charming. He had a roughed-up look to him, tired and a little dusty. As he approached the bar, Nines realized he recognized him.

There he was, right there - the wanted Travis Wood.

Nines had no idea what to say. A highly wanted criminal came into their saloon at the exact time where Nines was the only person in there. He wasn’t able to figure out what to do before Wood was in front of him, leaning against the bar.

“Y’all closed today or what? I thought this was the busiest bar in the country,” he said, grinning. “It’s like the whole damn town is closed.”

“Uh… No, we aren’t closed,” Nines said. He needed to be cautious about handling this. No one needed to get hurt. He was cut off before he could speak again.

“Good. I’d die for a bourbon right now. Don’t care if it’s neat or on the rocks.”

“...Sure. I’ll get that for you,” he said. At least he could do something he was familiar with. He prepared a glass for the newcomer, dropping some ice into the glass and pouring the whiskey over it. He set it in front of Wood, taking that moment to glance over him again.

“Beautiful. Thank you.”

Nines let him down the glass before speaking again. “You know you aren’t slick, right?”

“What do you mean by that?” he asked, looking back up to Nines and making a point to lock eyes with him. “I’d like to think I’m pretty slick.”

“Travis Wood,” he said. “You’re wanted all over the country. Anybody could recognize your face.”

“It is a hell of a face, ain’t it?” Wood smirked, giving Nines a wink. “I’d be offended if someone _didn’t_ recognize it.”

“Wood-”

“Listen, handsome,” he said. “I get we just met but you’ve got a little something about you. Something that makes me hate you less than other people.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Let’s move past the fake names. The name’s Gavin. Gavin Reed.”


	6. day 6: amnesia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nines noticed the atmosphere in that room. the air felt heavy, and these two - chris and gavin - seemed to be hurt.
> 
> "i'm assuming we knew each other before the reset?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> get ready for some tasty honey nut feelios  
> (also on my tumblr wakeupsun-shine)

They had all hoped they wouldn’t have to be in this situation again. They hoped to never see a friend come close to dying. They knew it wasn’t safe to restart androids more than once.

With the job at the police department, anyone could be thrown into the middle of a life-threatening situation. It could have been anyone; but no, not this time.

In the midst of the ongoing anti-android protests, Nines had been attacked. The protesters thought he was on his own - no one could stop them if it was just an android - but that wasn’t the case. Gavin was a part of the crowd, trying to weave through everyone to get to Nines.

He felt a sick sense of déjà vu when he finally made it to Nines. His LED was burnt out and he remained motionless on the ground. He desperately wanted to believe that wasn’t happening, that Nines was alright.

He turned to face the protesters. “All of you,” he told them, “need to get the _fuck_ out of here. We can arrest every single one of you pricks.”

Slowly, reluctantly, the crowd dispersed and everyone went back to doing whatever they’d been doing before this. Now, Gavin had more space to kneel down and pull Nines into his arms.

“God damn it,” he muttered, voice gruff with anger and fear. “I told you I wouldn’t let this happen again. I let you down. ...I guess this isn’t the first time I’ve done that.”

////

Everything hit Gavin so much harder when he saw Nines in that operating room, just like the last time he was there. He kept his attention on the windows to the room, completely lost in thought and regret.

This time, it was Chris who joined him. He could tell that Gavin was stuck in his own head, likely considering the worst possible outcomes. “Hey,” he said, “it’ll be alright. A nurse told me that he could wake up within the next hour. He’s okay. He'll be alright.”

Gavin sighed. “You don’t know that. Thanks for the sentiment, but now isn’t the time for wishful thinking. It always leads to disappointment,” he said with a solemn tone. “This time, he probably won’t be the same when he comes back. If he comes back. We were lucky as hell in that first situation.”

“We could be lucky this time, too.”

“Wouldn’t count on it,” he said, standing up. “I gotta have a smoke. Keep an eye on him.” Chris nodded, and Gavin promptly walked out of the room.

Not even a minute passed when he noticed Nines shifting. Chris smiled a little - he was okay, he was awake now! It didn’t take too much longer for Nines to get up completely, soon standing up and glancing around the room.

Chris also got up to meet with his friend. “Nines!” he said with relief. “Oh my God, I’m so happy you’re okay. Gavin’s been worrying about you all day.”

“Well…” Nines started. “I’d probably be happier if I actually knew who that is. I don’t know anybody except for you now.”

He didn't even seem like Nines. Any humanity he'd had in the past was no longer there.

Wishful thinking was _not_ on their side.

////

When Gavin came back inside, he saw that Chris was talking to Nines; though, he wore an expression of disbelief. Nines seemed to have the same look disbelief on his face as well - that is what really worried Gavin.

“Nines?” he called out shakily, stepping closer to the two of them. “Are you okay?” Nines turned his focus to Gavin, the LED flashing a yellow. 

That wasn’t a good sign.

“Yes, I’m alright,” he said. He moved almost right in front of Gavin to get a better look at him. “Before we continue our conversation, I’d like to know your names.”

_Shit._

Gavin looked up at Nines, his eyebrows furrowed with worry. “You’re… You’re joking, right?”

“No, I’m not. Now doesn’t seem like an appropriate time for jokes.”

Gavin noticed his throat was tightening, anxiety and fought-off sobs threatening to suffocate him. “There,” he said, gesturing to the other detective, “that’s Chris. Miller. Chris Miller.” Nines nodded, waiting to hear him continue. He gestured to himself. “Gavin Reed,” was the most he could manage to say.

“Gavin Reed?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Does that sound familiar…?” Gavin kept his full attention on Nines’s face, hoping to see just a hint of recognition. There was nothing.

“No, it doesn’t. I apologize. ‘Gavin’ suits you. I like that.”

“Cool. Thanks. I’ve had it my whole life,” he laughed, though it was forced and with no mirth behind it at all.

Nines noticed the atmosphere in that room. The air felt heavy, and these two - Chris and Gavin - seemed to be hurt. “I’m assuming we knew each other before the reset?”

“Yeah,” Chris said. “We knew each other. We had a squad. We were more close-knitted than most families are in Detroit.”

Gavin stared at the floor, opting to zone out of the conversation. Chris was probably going to start talking about memories, and he couldn’t bear to listen to him. It’s already a lot with Nines not remembering. Bringing up the good of the past would hurt so much more.

_Are we going to have to cancel our wedding?_

The thought shot through his mind. It didn’t matter if it was the past, present, or future; there was always going to be something to tear Gavin apart. Despite zoning out when Chris was talking, his own memories started resurfacing. All of the love he shared with Nines was gone.

This was Gavin’s fault; he deserves to lose the love he had, right?

“Oh…” Nines said softly. Or maybe it was Chris. Gavin couldn’t tell who said it. It didn’t really matter to him that much. “I’m so sorry.”

A hand was gently placed on Gavin’s shoulder. He didn’t respond. Maybe if he didn’t react to anything, he could be left on his own. That sounded appealing at that moment. He felt a thumb rubbing against his shoulder as an attempt at comfort, possibly to get his attention. He let out a sigh and looked back up to whoever this was.

Of course it was Nines. Of course he’s going to have to keep looking at him, keep facing him every day; they worked together. There was no way out of this.

“Gavin.”

“What?” 

Nines took his hand off of Gavin’s shoulder, instead holding it out in front of him. It was then that he realized that the hand was not only a shiny white, it was the hand where Nines had his engagement ring.

“So…” Nines said. “I guess that all I needed was to let my mind start up a little more? You get it. It takes you hours to get your mind working once you wake up.”

“I… what?” Gavin said skeptically. Just moments ago, Nines remembered nothing. Now he does remember? “How-... Are you…?

Nines gave him a small smile. “Yes, I’m okay,” he reassured. “I didn’t notice our rings until now. They match. It reminded me of the night I proposed to you. I’m offended that my mind let me forget that; it was the best moment of my life.”

“Here we go,” Chris murmured in the background. “You’ve been up for like 10 minutes and you’re already bringing this sappy shit to the table.” There was no real spite to that statement. He was more than happy to have Nines back.

Gavin grinned over at Chris as Nines kept talking. “I’m so glad that we’ve spent so much time together on that balcony. One memory led to another; it gets easier to recall things if you can remember enough on your own.”

Words escaped Gavin. There was no way he could express how he felt. He stepped close, throwing his arms around Nines’s neck to pull him into a tight embrace.

Chris fondly watched as the two had another reunion hug. “I’ll give you two some time with each other,” he said, turning to walk out of the door once he got nods of acknowledgement. 

Nines kept Gavin close to his chest, running his fingers through his hair softly. Gavin lifted his head so he could look back up to Nines. Thankfully, the same Nines he knew and loved. The Nines that _felt_ like Nines.

“Fuck, I was so scared of losing you. I wouldn’t live a happy life if you weren’t in it.” His voice was shaky again, but now it was from all of that anxiety that had dropped away from him so abruptly.

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore, alright?” Nines spoke gently. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” Gavin answered with a smile, burying his face back into the crook of his neck.

Nines ran his hands along Gavin’s back soothingly. “Gavin. I’ll make you a promise,” he said. He kissed the top of his head before continuing. 

“It doesn’t matter what happens. Nothing can change this. You _are_ my whole life, my light, my everything. I could never forget you, my love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i cry writing this at three in the morning? yes. did i throw in some comfort to feel better? also yes


End file.
